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light weight battery


G.SHERMAN

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Hi,

 

This subject has been covered on many occasions, suggest you do a search on DMS, Varley and Odyssey .

 

I believe the Odyssey can be bought at a discount from Powervamp which is a name that will come up in the results of your searches.

 

I bought a Varley 700 Red top and was really pleased with it but in future would probably go for the equivalant Odyssey as they are signifianctly cheaper.

 

Tony

 

Edited by - Tony7 on 30 Sep 2005 18:02:42

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A big *thumbup* for Powervamp and Odyssey - but with a word of caution (generally applicable - not Odyssey-specific).

 

My first Odyssey was the teeny-weeny PC545 - which is quite a bit smaller and lighter than the (standard for the k-series) Banner.

 

My PC545 suffered a technical problem (cooked by the exhaust, I believe) and I was given a PC680 (the numbers refer to the cranking amps, I believe) as a warranty replacement.

 

Boy! The engine fairly zings-over with the 680 compared to the 545 (even before the cooking)- it is (I'd guess) about 30% larger and heavier (probably saving s*d all over the banner weight) - but I'm now glad that I ended up with the larger unit.

 

One of the reasons why I ended up spending £250+ on a Brise starter and £60ish on the Odyssey was that a £15k car was useless if it refused to start. The 545 was OK to start with - but when conditions get tough, the 680 is a better bet.

 

 

Project Scope-Creep is live...

 

Alcester Racing 7's Equipe - 🙆🏻

 

Alcester-Racing-Sevens.com


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The Odyssey PC545 sits flat in the battery tray with an easy modification to the clamp. You can get them from:-

 

Powervamp Ltd (www.powervamp.com)

22 Bridgwater Court

Oldmixon Crescent

Weston-super-Mare

BS24 9AY

Telephone 01934 643000 (ask for Lorainne & mention Caterham Club for best price)

Fax 01934 642800

info@powervamp.com

 

It's not pink, it's medium red violet... 😬

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I have used a 545 for a few years on my car and it was really not up to the job of everyday use, even when trickle charged each night. replaced with a 680 and no problems since. Sitll a 2-3 kg saving over the banner.

 

545 would be fine for a sprint car or fine weather use,not good when its -5 deg, you can have mine for £ 40

 

Simon

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Yeah - that was my overall impression. The 545 *did* start the car, but compared to the mule-kick of the 680, it was nowhere.

 

When I contacted Powervamp about my 545 problems (wouldn't hold a charge for more than a day - sometimes less), the Tech Support chap (Edward Roller) seemed to hint that the 545 might be a bit marginal - and he offered a 680 as a warranty replacement...

 

I got so heartily p*ssed off with starting problems prior to the Brise (couldn't even guarantee that I could restart after a fuel stop - and couldn't reliably start from cold) that the extra kilo or two (still under the Banner weight) is worth it.

 

I don't doubt that DJ& co can get away with the 545 - and my 545 might have been slightly sick from the word go - but the 680 really punches and I'm very happy with it.

 

 

 

Project Scope-Creep is live...

 

Alcester Racing 7's Equipe - 🙆🏻

 

Alcester-Racing-Sevens.com


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I don't think there's any particular problem with the 545 - or that Odyssey are any different in performance/reliability terms to Red Tops etc.

 

My 545 was killed by excessive underbonnet temps (I believe - should really phone Edward Roller up at Powervamp and see if they had any views from the post-mortem). The 680 could be seen to be overkill (several people seem happy with it), but the difference in cranking-speed is marked on my car, and I'm happy to lug the extra kilo or so around...

 

Project Scope-Creep is live...

 

Alcester Racing 7's Equipe - 🙆🏻

 

Alcester-Racing-Sevens.com


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  • Support Team

I've been running with a Red Top 15 for some time now and it works well (K-series) and a friend is running with the same in a Crossflow with no problems.

 

Edited to remove an error.

 

Yellow SL *cool* #32

 

Edited by - Shaun_E on 26 Oct 2005 18:54:09

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